Journal of an expedition across the Blue Mountains

11 May - 6 June 1813
Safe 1/22a
Manuscript journal

Explorer and pastoralist lieutenant William Lawson (1774-1850) was a wealthy land owner in Prospect, western Sydney. Like Gregory Blaxland, Lawson had a desire to expand his agricultural interests, but to do this, he required more land.

In the early days of the colony, it was widely believed that an abundance of fertile farming land existed on the other side of the Blue Mountains, however many failed attempts by other explorers proved they were difficult to cross.

In 1813 Blaxland invited Lawson to accompany him and William Charles Wentworth on an expedition to find a route across the Blue Mountains. Lawson's knowledge of surveying made him a particularly valuable member of the expedition. His journal, with its accurate record of times and distances, enables the route to be precisely retraced.